Somewhere Between Unsure and a Hundred
by danderson
Summary: Here we go... "Separating east and west, Now they meet amidst the broad daylight... So this is where you are, and this is where I am - Somewhere between unsure and a hundred..." - The Fray. Word count based on my computer's.
1. Fiyero: Brainless

**The Wizard of Oz is on TV right now. I own it, and can never really bring myself to watch it... But I can't resist if it's ON!! Dorothy just met the Scarecrow, and he said, "Oh, I'm a failure because I haven't got a brain!"**

**And I love him.**

Where to go from here? Fiyero always found himself in these situations, leading his men, searching for Elphaba. Always hoping he'd find himself alone and near enough to grab her.

He wished he could think like her, somehow get inside her head, but he knew that he was barely smart enough to keep up when she explained her thought process step-by-step, let alone manage to guess what her beautiful brain was concocting when he was miles away from her.

He looked down both streets, lost and hopeless. "Oh, I'm a failure because I haven't got a brain," he sighed, heartbroken.

**P.S. In the tenth grade, I was Dorothy in the school production. I had to fight for it, because at 5'10", I'm not exactly "childlike". The guy who played the Scarecrow was the sweetest, most wonderful guy in the entire world. So I guess this is dedicated to him.**

**P.P.S. Apparently I'm attempting drabbles, now... Oh, brother!**


	2. Fiyero: Apples

The trees, enraged, began to throw apples roughly at the pair. "I'll show you how to get apples," he said to Dorothy, sinking into a memory...

He was so hungry, and Elphaba was so enticing, reading and eating her apple. Two things he wanted, two things he couldn't have. Together. In front of him.

"Elphie," he tried.

"No," she said, refusing to grant him permission to speak.

"Fae. Fae. Fae..." He could continue all day, both knew.

So Elphaba, to shut him up, threw the apple at him. One out of two wasn't bad. He could try for Elphaba later.


	3. Fiyero: Fire

"Here, Scarecrow! Wanna play ball?"

Now, really, was it necessary to pick on him? He was only _walking_ with the stupid girl, using a convenient travel party to _get to her_. But the jealousy underneath Elphie's "helping the little lady along, are we, my fine gentlemen?" was apparently not enough fire for her, and so she threw a ball of it at him.

She was so sexy when she was angry. He needed to be near her, no matter what. Return the fire she'd dished out.

"I'm not afraid of her! I'll see that you get to the Wizard now..."


	4. Fiyero: Scar

It was really quite brave of Dorothy to swat at the Lion's nose. Neither she, nor the Tin Man, nor the Scarecrow could have guessed that stink he'd make about it.

"Is my nose bleedin'?"

Of course it wasn't.

Fiyero found it ironic. This Lion who, in his youth, had left what had remained as a faint scar until Fiyero's transformation, was concerned about blood. He thought back to that day, as he had when he'd first heard the Lion's reasoning for hating the Witch.

And so they added another traveler to their journey. Another person who hated Elphaba. Misery.


	5. Fiyero: Poppies

When they came into view of the Emerald City, all that separated them from it was a field of flowers. An entire field of poppies... The flowers he'd given to Elphie the day she'd left to meet the Wizard. Oh, how inviting, how much like curling up in a memory of her.

Dorothy fell asleep. Women!

The Tin Man started to cry. Wuss!

The Lion fell asleep. Typical.

And then it started to snow, rusting the Tin Man. ...Rusted wuss.

Now Fiyero was the only one left not frozen in a sea of Elphaba. "Figures," he thought, jealous of all.


	6. Fiyero: Message

Everyone shrieked at the cackle. Fiyero thought it was a little much, but, he supposed, it was she who had to live with the image she played up. She flew in loops and curls, spelling words out with the end of her broom. That was Elphaba, always writing. The message read "SURRENDER DOROTHY"

She was so foolish - simply BEGGING to be shot out of the sky! Fiery and passionate, he loved every fibre of her foolish recklessness. "We better hurry if we're gonna see the Wizard," he said.

_Closer and closer, I come, my love. Closer and closer to you._


	7. Fiyero: Kiamo Ko

Kiamo Ko. "Dorothy's in that awful place?" He knew from experience that it was a gloomy, frightening relic, full of damp, dark corners and hidden hallways. As a child, he'd been there only rarely, and had never lived there. He was glad he'd had "the other castle" to call home.

He also knew he had to pretend he'd never laid eyes on it, hence the seemingly surprised and horrified question.

And then... was it a trick? No, all the guards seemed to have green skin. How had that happened? He hoped he'd get a chance to ask her about it.


	8. Fiyero: A Hug

Freed from the room she'd been held in, scared out of her mind, Dorothy hugged the Tin Man, then the Lion, then reached for Fiyero. 

Fiyero knew instinctually how he felt about Dorothy. He couldn't deny that the girl really had no ill-will for Elphaba, and did simply seem to want to get home. Dorothy had been brought here against her will, hoping not to have to kill the Witch the whole way.

But she was still an enemy of his love, his entire world, and his world needed him, now.

"Hurry," he cried, "We've got no time to lose!"


	9. Fiyero: Assault

The four were trapped, surrounded by Elphaba and the guards. Elphaba glanced above her at a flaming torch, then met Fiyero's eyes with a mirth reminiscent of her early days at Shiz. He could succumb to the fire for all he cared, if that was the last thing he saw before he went up in flames. He knew there was a chance he would, that he would catch fire completely, and be totally incinerated.

But Dorothy threw the water, as they'd known she would. And Elphaba began to melt, while his arm, saved from the fire, smoked at his side.


	10. Fiyero: Water

"AHH YOU CURSED BRAT!! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!! I'm melting... MELLLLLLLLTING! Oh, what a world, what a world! Who'd have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? Oooh, I'm going...!! Oohh ohhh...!"

It was convincing. Even Fiyero had to admit that, on some level, he believed that he saw, despite knowing it was all an act. Of course he did, he realized, brushing an unexpected tear from his eye. He was glad that nobody was looking at him. To have gotten this far and blow his cover now... He was too close to true happiness.


	11. Fiyero: Glinda

"Are you ready now?" The Good Witch's voice tinkled reassuringly over the question, comforting Dorothy.

Fiyero found it odd how close he was to Glinda, his former fiancée. He watched her smile at the girl, and was proud of her for the brave front she was able to put up. She'd really grown, over the years. It was a pity she'd had to do it the hard way. She'd lost everyone she'd loved, who'd' loved her. Even those she hadn't loved. Really, in the end, who was Glinda the Good left with?

Nobody.

And then Dorothy was on her way.


	12. Fiyero: Heart

"Fae, something's been plaguing me."

"What is it, my Hero?"

"Why were all the guards at Kiamo Ko green? I've been trying to figure it out..."

"A small glamour," Elphaba admitted. "So that I could put on a uniform and disappear among them if necessary. It will have worn off by now."

He'd have never thought of that. There he was, again, being stupid, unworthy of her in his brainlessness. "Oh, I'm a failure because I haven't got a brain."

"Oh you are not," Elphaba fussed, frowning. "And you do so. Besides, isn't having my heart enough?"

"More than enough."


	13. Elphaba: Rain

It was raining again, and Galinda was off on a date with Fiyero. Elphaba had abandoned study in favour of gazing at the rivulets of water streaming down the pane, imagining, though she hated to admit it, what it would be like to get caught in the rain with Fiyero. Romantic, that's what it would be like.

Galinda returned, upset that her makeup and hair had been ruined by the downpour, telling Elphie she'd been smart to stay inside. She shivered and disappeared into the bathroom to refresh herself, preferring hot water to cold.

Outside, the rain continued to pour.


	14. Elphaba: Marriage

"Elphie, when I get married, I'm going to have the fanciest dress ever. With puffed sleeves, and sparkles, and a tiara!"

"I assume your dress will be pink?"

"_White_ Elphie. Clearly," Galinda huffed. "What about you?"

"I'm only hoping to ever be loved, Galinda. The rest is just... decoration."

Years later, Elphaba caught sight of Galinda (now Glinda) giving an address to the citizens of Oz, and noted that, though neither pink nor white, she was wearing that dress she'd dreamed of, complete with tiara. She'd married Oz, in the end, Elphie supposed. And she looked breathtakingly exquisite doing it.


	15. Elphaba: An Apple

She noticed he was staring at the fruit, heard the rumbling in his stomach. "Elphie," Fiyero said, clearly after her apple.

"No," she replied.

"Fae. Fae. Fae..." He could continue all day, both knew. And he would.

It stirred yearning in Elphaba that was so potent, she thought she might scream. Her name on his lips, an affirmation that she was real, and he knew who she was... It seemed so simple, and so stupid, but hearing him say her name felt like a promise. Of what, she wasn't sure. It was unbearable.

So she threw the apple at him.


	16. Elphaba: Thoughts

At night, Elphaba thought about the future. What if she never got to meet the Wizard? Then what?

There was no other plan than this. Marry someone? It would never happen. Neither would children, for that matter. A decent job anywhere but the Emerald City? Not likely. No, the Emerald City, with its lovely green glasses, so perfect to hide her verdigrism, it would allow her to blend in visually so that her brains and her determination would shine through. She needed to meet the Wizard - it was her only option.

But what if she didn't? Sleep was far away...


	17. Elphaba: Unlimited

"I'm not that girl..."

Not for Fiyero, maybe. But she _was_ someone, and the Wizard knew it. Here it was, finally. Her chance to meet the Wizard, to really prove herself, and to forget the past.

The pang of these feelings for Fiyero was less, suddenly. The notion of months and months of unrequieted emotion for the boy was swept away with the news that, yes, finally, she was going to meet the Wizard.

She needed this an affirmation, this distraction. To be known for something other than being green. "...And there at last we'll be, the Wizard and I..."


	18. Elphaba: Flight

The wind felt perfect: it was biting. She felt certain that the cover of darkness would conceal her, and tore through the sky as fast as she could, not sure where she was going.

Elphaba had always wanted people to stop staring at her, except she'd still wanted people to notice her. Just... not only for her skin.

Now, as she let herself become invisible in the blackness, and all of Oz knew who she was, she couldn't help thinking how ironic it was that she'd finally gotten her wish, and it felt very much like having her heart broken.


	19. Elphaba: Barren

The dorm room at Shiz hadn't been anything to shout about, save the fact that she wasn't anyone's nursemaid while she lived in it. Galinda's side had been annoyingly frilly and pink and bursting with shoes and frocks, and her side had been sparse, just like she liked it. Now, in an empty cave on a hill in the woods far away, Elphaba wished that, just once, she could trip over a stupid pink heel, howling at the way it dug into her foot, cursing Galinda and her empty-headed vanity, and stumble to her bed to rub the pain away.


	20. Elphaba: Blame

"We get up at twelve and start to work at one, take an hour for lunch, and then at two we're done. Jolly good fun!"

Above the city, Elphaba sneered. No wonder the Land of Oz was in such turmoil, if that was the work ethic of the most powerful city in the nation. And the Wizard was blaming Animals, while his elite played at having careers and "laughed the day away"?

She would never understand, as long as she lived, how the people were so blind as to think that anyone but themselves were to blame for their troubles.


	21. Elphaba: Lion

Elphaba remembered the Lion, of course. She wasn't sure how she felt about the Lion's conclusion that she was to blame for his cowardice, but she decided it was of no consequence.

One thing did plague her, though: the Lion, with his ability to speak, wanted her dead. She, who fought for Animal rights. Of course, he couldn't know that the Wizard was behind all the Animal baans, and wouldn't believe her if she told him. But she had to wonder what would become of this Lion once he completed the task set forth by the Great and Powerful Oz...


	22. Elphaba: Tin Man

Boq. What a fool, both blaming and hating her for saving his life. Elphaba had once felt akin to Boq. They were both Munchkinlanders, though he was taller than the average Munchkin, and she was... green. Each from a world they didn't really fit into, both studious, both pining after one half of the perfect couple. Neither had ever really thought they'd stood a chance, but both had hoped just as fervently that some day that might change.

Elphaba was sorry that her former school chum now felt the need to lead the Witch Hunters to her, heartless or not.


	23. Elphaba: Dorothy

Dorothy was unnerving. She was a sturdy little girl, with large brown eyes and a genuine wish to simply be home, with the people who knew and loved her. To sleep in her own bed, and not have to look any farther than her own back yard for the things that truly mattered. She was far more pensive than most children her age, and undeniably brave, to have made it all this way.

She reminded the Wicked Witch a lot of herself, in another lifetime. Elphaba hoped the girl would never have to pay a similar price for her similarities.


	24. Elphaba: Scarecrow

It hurt to look at him.

Before she had done this to him, she could have stared at him all day. And even as a Scarecrow, she still saw Fiyero in him, and was devastated by how handsome he was. No, it wasn't that she was put off by his current form, it was the guilt at knowing she had caused it.

It hurt to look at him and see that he still loved her. It didn't matter that his eyes were still the same, or that he was smiling: Fiyero was a Scarecrow, and it was all her fault.


	25. Glinda: Heartless

To give Elphaba that hat had been cruel, not brainless.

She wondered if Elphaba had _known_ what Galinda was doing. Morrible _had_ said that Elphaba insisted Galinda be told _that night_.

No, the look on the green girl's face had said it all: she'd been betrayed. But perhaps, Galinda thought, she'd _suspected_ that Galinda might be out to get her, and insisted Morrible tell her just in case.

Perhaps Elphaba knew the truth: that Galinda was heartless. And perhaps, it was better that way. Maybe she'd been led to someone who would help her to grow, if she'd let her.


	26. Glinda: Callow

"I hope you're happy, now that you're choosing this," she'd said. How ridiculous, and how cowardly of her, not to go! And now her Elphie was out there, flying about on some dirty old broom... She was probably frightened, even though she'd said she wasn't. Cold. Hungry.

And lonely.

Together, they could have been the greatest team there'd ever been, but Glinda hadn't packed for the occasion, mentally or literally. So now, she was just a pawn of the Wizard, a liar, and, worst of all, a bad friend.

_It's sad,_ she thought. _When you're born to be a sissy..._


	27. Glinda: Homesick

The Emerald Palace really was impressive. It was "fitting", as her Momsie would have said, that she lived there, given her status. It was elegant, opulent, and breathtaking.

But it wasn't home.

Home wasn't even her house in the Upper Uplands, anymore. Home was her dorm room at Shiz, well, the one she'd shared with Elphie. Funny, how she hadn't wanted to share it, and then loathed it once she'd had it all to herself again.

The only thing she _did_ like about the Emerald Palace was the neverending green, though it broke her heart to admit to herself why.


	28. Glinda: Brainless

How had she missed this? The look on Fiyero's face was so clear, so familiar... And not because he'd never looked at _her_ like that before...

No, he'd looked at _Elphie_ like that, before she'd left for the Emerald City.

All this time, he'd searched for her, tearing at his hair on days when he'd come close, but lost her. Sullen, angry, and pensive, he'd lost himself along the way, and Glinda had been too busy smiling, waving and shutting up about any real issues to notice.

She'd been in denial, which was the stupidest thing she could have done.


	29. Glinda: Remaining

"I hope you're happy, now that you're choosing this..." Couldn't she have responded with something that didn't make it sound like Elphaba was going to be alone in her choice for the rest of her life?

Elphaba managed to thrive, however, even solitary and without a plan, and defied both gravity and the Wizard.

Glinda watched for Elphaba, flying into the night, until she couldn't even make out the spot in which she'd last seen her first (and, probably, last) truly important friend.

For all her singularity of complexion, it was astonishing how quickly she became camouflaged in the darkness.


	30. Glinda: Sting

"Hide yourself," Elphaba murmured, then pulled a screen across the room, leaving Glinda, sparkling and crumbling, alone. The Emerald Witch pressed a finger to her lips, solemn and sure as always.

How many years had she waited for a friend like Elphaba? And then, to only have her briefly, and now, to lose her? There weren't words to convey to Elphaba what she had meant to Glinda, nor were there words to express the crippling heartache ripping through her, so Glinda cried. She cried till she couldn't breathe.

Elphaba hadn't cried, of course.

But the sting, to Glinda, was real.


	31. Fiyero: Paper

It was dark and cold, so a fire would be perfect, Fiyero decided. And he knew just what to burn to set the rest of the kindling ablaze.

Half-smirking, he pulled the piece of paper, now crumpled and lined from being folded, from his pocket. He'd had to wait till _he_ wasn't flammable, of course.

Thinking to himself about the origin of the paper, he watched with satisfaction as he placed it amongst the dry leaves and twigs, watching it curl in on itself and blacken.

Fiyero Tiggular burned his T.H.D.

Who wanted to be a Doctor of Thinkology, anyway?


	32. Fiyero: Speechless

The Lion really wasn't so bad. Yes, his stammering and shaking grew to be quite bothersome, and Fiyero felt that a good night or so of really fending for himself would do the Animal a world of good, if he didn't give himself a heart attack. But he really had no ill will for others; he just wanted to survive.

So Fiyero was happy to see the Wizard award the beast something that might give him encouragement, as empty as he thought the Wizard's praise or advice might be.

"Shucks, folks, I'm speechless!"

_No,_ Fiyero thought. _But you would be._


	33. Fiyero: Heartless

It was hard not to punch Boq in the nose sometimes. But, beyond being ineffectual, as he was made of straw and his foe of tin, Fiyero also thought that it might blow his cover. And so he watched as the Wizard advised his former school chum about the ins and outs of having a heart.

"Remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love but by how much you are loved by others."

Fiyero had to wonder if, faced with such (though he hated to admit it) true advice, Boq thought of Nessa.


	34. Fiyero: Love

"I love you," Fiyero said one night, as they huddled together for warmth. He was still getting used to being cold; as a man of straw, he hadn't felt any discomfort, or, well, much of anything. Not that he was complaining, finding warmth in the exhilarating sensation of pressing his body to Elphaba's. "With all my heart."

"With _all _your heart?"

"Of course."

"You know that frightens me," she sighed, frowning.

"Why?"

"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."

"Then don't break mine," Fiyero suggested, softly, smiling.

"If it's the only thing I do," she promised.


	35. Fiyero: Flowers

He'd just seen them and thought of her, he hadn't really known why. It just felt right, they felt fitting. The bunch of bright red flowers in his hand had trembled as he'd held them out to her, but that was so often the case when he was near her: he was trembling. Nervous, unsure, so unlike his former self.

It wasn't until some time later, after Glinda had returned from the Emerald City alone (and in tears), that Fiyero wandered back to where he and Elphaba had run with the Lion cub and seen the poppies growing all around.


	36. Elphaba: Fake

Galinda's hard-won popularity was something that Elphaba often struggled with.

She would watch the little blonde flit about from person to person, charming and smiling and twirlilng, and would fight to suppress a sneer. Everyone wore false robes from time to time; Elphaba herself did little to dissuade the masses from disliking her. But where Galinda's false kindness helped her, Elphaba's lie only hindered her existence. Somehow, the green girl found that to be a more acceptable lie.

Elphaba found herself disliking her room mate more often than not. It was simply too bad that she loved her so dearly.


End file.
